Wargaming the Age of the Anglo-Saxons at Sutton Hoo, July 2024 (Pt 2*)

(*If you missed Part 1, you can read it here)

As well as our Battle of the River Idle game, there were two other miniature wargames on offer at the event.

Grahame, Carl and a number of other stalwart members of the Peterborough Wargames Club had made the trip to Suffolk. They too had chosen to put on a version of the Battle of the River Idle 616, but using Lion Rampant 2 rules. LR was an excellent choice for this, being quick to pick up, fast-playing (the Peterborough team estimated playing time at 40 minutes) and also easily accessible in case anyone fancied getting into wargaming after the event.

The Peterborough Club game also featured an information board and book table – always useful when engaging the public.

Ernie and Richard of East Anglian Gamers returned from last year, this time putting on a skirmish scenario based on a waterborne raid gone wrong. ‘Back to the Ship!’ involved a feared Saxon warleader (popularly dubbed ‘Black Dog’ due to his choice of canine companion) attempting to escape the angry locals with his loot.

The game took place on a very smart custom-built board with a wooden frame which was ideal for withstanding the rigours of a participation game and the occasional high winds experienced at Sutton Hoo. Rules used were a simplified version of Dux Brittaniarum from Too Fat Lardies.

The games were busy virtually all weekend, but so was the painting room! This year, ‘Paint your own Saxon thegn’ took place in the stables block next to the games. Hobby heroes Gripping Beast once again provided the event with several boxes of their plastic Saxon thegns (thanks fellas!) which had been pre-assembled and undercoated by the team.

This area was phenomenally busy, with 123 models painted and taken away by members of the public over the two days. Huge thanks to Peter and Grahame who gave up their time to assist with this.

It wasn’t long before the painted miniatures began to appear on the gaming tables and we started to work them into games. Saxon champions ‘Whiteblade’ and ‘Red Shield’ fought it out at the start of one of the many Battles of the River Idle.

As well as the gaming and painting activities, there were a host of other things to keep visitors busy at the site, some of which we were able to sample in breaks from the game.

The site is exceptionally well-presented, with plenty of information panels.

As you walk out towards Tranmer House and the mounds, there are sculptures inspired by Anglo-Saxon art and metalwork.

The viewing tower gives a fine overview of the mounds which had sensibly been mowed around to make them more visible amongst the summer grass. (The mounds are all lower than they were 1400 years ago, apart from Mound Two – the site’s other ship burial – which was purposefully reconstructed to its original height after excavation).

My son and I took one of the longer walks through the woods and down to the River Deben, where you can look across the water to Woodbridge where the Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company are currently building a reconstruction of the ship from Mound 1. It also gives you an appreciation of how the ship got to its final resting place and the effort that must have been required to get it up the slope!

The exhibition hall is full of top-notch displays and artefacts, though my lad really wanted to play Hnefatafl – one of the interactive exhibits. Over two visits across the weekend, we managed to play through six games, with the king winning every single time!

I can highly recommend a visit to Sutton Hoo, even if you have only a slight interest in the early medieval period. It puts the treasures in the British Museum (replicas of all of which can be viewed here) into context and presents the site brilliantly.

If you fancy visiting for more Wargaming the Age of the Anglo-Saxons, we have a provisional date of 26-27th July 2025 for the next one! (Note that this is provisional – please check with the National Trust nearer the time for confirmation).